Overwatch 2 will introduce new playable heroes every other season–or approximately every 18 weeks. These will include both characters that are brand new and “characters you’ve been waiting for.” It will also carry over every hero from the first Overwatch.
Confirmed heroes new to Overwatch 2 include:
Sojourn
Junker Queen
Kiriko
Described as a mid-range specialist with incredible mobility and artillery skills, Sojourn’s primary weapon is a railgun that generates energy on each successful hit and can then consume that power for a high-impact shot. This makes Sojourn well-suited for players with marksman skills, as they can use that accuracy to deal devastating blows with the railgun’s secondary fire mode.
In addition, Sojourn also has an area-of-effect ability that will snare enemies and eat away at their health, a rocket-powered slide, and an ultimate ability called Overclock. During Overclock, Sojourn can fire shots that pierce through enemies. Secondary fire on the railgun enables her to quickly eliminate enemies with high-powered shots, which Blizzard likened to a “hitscan version” of a Genji’s Dragon Blade attack.
Teased for years by Blizzard, Junker Queen is the not-so-benevolent ruler of Junkertown. Equipped with a mohawk, six-pack abs, a shotgun, and a battle ax, Junker Queen is the game’s newest tank, and seems more than capable of leading her team to victory.
Described as a fierce and resourceful survivalist, Junker Queen’s play kit perfectly showcases her will to not only survive but thrive in the harsh, Australian outback. Her passive ability allows her to heal her wounds over time by dealing damage to other players, encouraging those playing Junker Queen to adopt a more aggressive playstyle.
In addition, many of Junker Queen’s moves are most impactful at close-range, including Scattergun and Carnage. Scattergun refers to Junker Queen’s powerful shotgun blast, while Carnage is the name given to her big, sweeping ax swing.
Commanding Shout sees Junker Queen increase the health and movement speed of herself and the teammates around her, similarly to Lucio. Junker Queen’s ultimate ability, Rampage, allows the tank to lunge toward her opponents using her magnetic gauntlet. Once there, she also prevents her enemies from healing, making Rampage the first ability since Ana’s biotic grenade to apply an anti-heal.
Kiriko is the final hero coming to the game at launch, and is a healer with a DPS edge. Called the “Protector of Kanezaka,” Kiriko is a Japanese ninja who trained alongside Hanzo and Genji under the tutelage of her mother–though she is much younger (and feistier) than the pair. Much of Kiriko’s abilities come from her use of spiritual objects associated with Shintoism, such as ofuda and suzu, and her character as a whole represents the merging of the spiritual world with “youthful intelligence.
As for her moveset, Kiriko’s primary ability is to heal. She does this by sending homing ofuda–paper talismans offering the wielder protection–to her teammates.
Her secondary ability sees her precisely aim and throw her kunai, giving her an edge of lethality that rivals actual DPS characters. She also has the Protection Suzu ability, which sees her ring a Suzu–or Shinto bell–and “cleanse” an area of debuffs and potentially devastating attacks. These attacks include Sombra’s hack, Reinhardt’s Shatter, Ashe’s Burn, Ana’s Sleep Dart, and Junkrat’s RIP-Tire.
Swift Step allows Kiriko to see her allies through barriers in order to teleport beside them, making her the first character in Overwatch who can phase through walls. Her ultimate, Kitsune Rush, summons a spirit fox to guide her teammates and provide them with accelerated movement speed, attack speed, and cool-down rates.
